Darian's POV
My throat was parched. Between the stuffy air of the hall and the endless, circular conversations with my Alphas, I felt like I’d been swallowed by a desert. My men had come to me with the same concerns the advisors had voiced earlier, concerns I had already addressed in my letters, but they were insistent. They wanted reassurances I wasn't willing to waste more time on.
My cousin had at least provided some relief. He’d briefed me on the state of the Southern borders, proving once again how capable he was. Storm wasn't his real name, of course. My mother had let that secret slip once, though she was usually too busy fawning over him to be useful. His family was shrouded in secrecy and strange traditions, but as long as the South remained stable under his watch, I didn't car
